1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-user interactive web server and a communication method between users. Specifically, this invention relates to: a multi-user interactive web server that provides information to a user, while also allowing communication between users; and a communication method between users.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, users connect to a web server through a network using web browsers. Presently, a user can only download information provided by the connected web server. The web server does not provide a means of exchanging information between users connected to a web server.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional way of requesting and transferring information between a user and a web server. A user 100 is connected to a web server 120 through a network 110. The user connects using the user""s web browser and receives desired information from the web server 120.
The conventional web server 120 merely provides information contained in web pages or a related service to the user 100, as shown in FIG. 1. It is not possible for the user 100 to obtain information based on other user""s experience, such as the most useful information in the searched web page, from the other users connected to the same web server 120. Similarly, the user cannot provide such information to the other users because the conventional web server 120 does not provide a way of exchanging information between users connected to the web server.
To solve the above problem(s), it is an objective of the present invention to provide a multi-user interactive web server that allows users to exchange information between users as well as provide web-based information to a user.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a communication method using such a web server.
Accordingly, to achieve the first objective, there is provided a multi-user interactive web server for providing information to users connected through a network, comprising a network connection manager for providing web information thereof to the connected users; and a multi-user manager for exchanging user information between users connected to the network connection manager.
The multi-user manager preferably comprises a user manager for storing user identification information transferred by the users; and a message processor for processing messages, wherein when a user sends a message having the user identification information of other users to whom said message is to be transferred, the message is transferred to said other users based on the user identification information stored in the user manager.
The network connection manager preferably provides a port number to a user so that the user is connected to the multi-user manager.
To achieve the second objective, there is provided a method for exchanging information between users connected to a web server, the method comprising providing web information and allowing a user to exchange user messages on receiving a request for connection; receiving and storing identification information from said user and other users; and checking for identification information of a subset of said other users and transferring user messages on receiving said user messages. The first step preferably comprises the steps of indicating port number of a predetermined web server, said web server being capable of managing user-to-user communication, the port number being used for transmitting messages between all the users connected to the web server; and transmitting the port number and opening a channel with the web server.
Preferably, when a user terminates connection with the web server, the web server erases user identification information thereof stored in the second step.
Preferably, if a user message contains user identification information of a subset of other users then the message is transferred only to the subset of users and if the user message does not contain any user identification information of other users the message is broadcast to all other users.
Preferably along with a transferred user message a program is provided to process the message. Further improvements include the program being in the Java programming language.